discussion Wingnut Wings 1/32 Halberstadt Cl.II (late)

[Neil Merryweather]

This is looking wonderful ,Allen-I'm ALMOST tempted to get a WNW kit myself, but the price-tag is WAY out of my league.

 

[Tim Marlow]

Thanks Andrew and Tim summed up the AB very well. I bought this one back in the mid 90's from the PX when I was in the Army. It was sold under the brand name Testors and sat in the reduced wares bin for ages. When it was 75% off + 10% more, I snagged it up. Original price was $149.00. It's pretty bullet proof and has a lifetime guarantee. Hope I never need to use it, especially if they aren't in business anymore. It's easy to clean and use for a ham-fisted fool like me. I've never had a prob with air usage with it though...


Prost
Allen

Hi Allen, I’ve often thought about using the bubble method to look for air leaks on mine, but never got around to it. There must be an issue because no one else has ever complained about them being air hungry. My guess is that the body leaks before the air gets to the needle. They do handle well, but I now prefer my Iwatta for simplicity of cleaning apart from anything else. The design was why I went for the SBS side feed, I got used to the cup being on either side out of the sight line.
You got yours very cheap, nice one. I paid about 150 dollars including postage from the states (couldn’t source one in the UK at that time, probably the early nineties). Not a bad deal at the time because it was the deluxe one with all the needles and pots and a nice wooden case. Exchange rate was a lot higher than now as well, about 1.8 dollars to the pound I think. Well, not a bad deal until I got hit with about 60 UKP import duty anyway :cold-sweat:

 

[Mickc1440]

Lovely work pal, never built one of their kits but they do look good

 

[Guest]

That’s an Aztec airbrush Andrew, no longer made I think.

Not sure … I tried finding out and come across a lot of places that still sell them, and parts for them, but the Testors web site … well … Click on Aztek under the header “Select Brands” and …

View attachment 476880

Okay … So let’s try searching for Aztek:

View attachment 476879

Great.

I think Jakko uses one as well.

I do, I bought an A470 (the top-end model) about 25 years ago for 299 guilders (the price sticker is still on the box) because one of the main reasons I didn’t like airbrushing was the cleaning involved for the Badger 150 I used to use (and still have, too, but never use anymore). The plastic Aztek is much better in that respect.

I used to use it for camouflage etc., but nowadays, I use it for anything that needs to be sprayed in a single colour and use an Iwata for finer things. The roller that you mentioned is well and truly stuck, though — I had cause to disassemble it for the first time some months ago, and thought I would fix the roller while I had it apart. Nope, its whole axle seems totally stuck in a square piece of brass that holds it in place. I guess I might try WD 40 sometime, but as I never used the roller anyway, I don’t really need to get it unstuck from its fully-rearward position.

 

[Tim Marlow]

Not sure … I tried finding out and come across a lot of places that still sell them, and parts for them, but the Testors web site … well … Click on Aztek under the header “Select Brands” and …



Okay … So let’s try searching for Aztek:



Great.


I do, I bought an A470 (the top-end model) about 25 years ago for 299 guilders (the price sticker is still on the box) because one of the main reasons I didn’t like airbrushing was the cleaning involved for the Badger 150 I used to use (and still have, too, but never use anymore). The plastic Aztek is much better in that respect.

I used to use it for camouflage etc., but nowadays, I use it for anything that needs to be sprayed in a single colour and use an Iwata for finer things. The roller that you mentioned is well and truly stuck, though — I had cause to disassemble it for the first time some months ago, and thought I would fix the roller while I had it apart. Nope, its whole axle seems totally stuck in a square piece of brass that holds it in place. I guess I might try WD 40 sometime, but as I never used the roller anyway, I don’t really need to get it unstuck from its fully-rearward position.

Mine’s a 470 as well Jakko. Interesting that you never used the roller. I used to use it to take the backlash out of the trigger switch after changing nozzles so there wasn’t too much dead movement before the paint came out….

 

[Tim Marlow]

Perhaps I ought to sell it….I could get two really good ones for this LOL….
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/285185283688?hash=item42665e1668:g:JNgAAOSwfpVkEJiw

 

[Guest]

Interesting that you never used the roller. I used to use it to take the backlash out of the trigger switch after changing nozzles so there wasn’t too much dead movement before the paint came out….

I don’t think I’ve ever experienced that as a problem, else I probably also would have. I did use it sometimes to limit rearward trigger movement, so I couldn’t spray lines thicker than I wanted, but usually found that to be more annoying than useful because of a need to keep fiddling it back and forth when I did want to spray more, to fill in camouflage areas, for example.

 

[Allen Dewire]

Looks good Allen. Sorry about the needle, you'll find it hopefully. Glad the fuselage halves went together well. Paint should be fine for those decals.
Remember this is a family forum so talk of your granny's hairy rear may not be appropriate!! :smiling:

Thanks Jim! I did find it this morning, under my spray booth stand. Oh, and I never forget this a family forum Sir.......I just couldn't think of a better way to describe them, that's all. Decals??? Please see below...

This is looking wonderful ,Allen-I'm ALMOST tempted to get a WNW kit myself, but the price-tag is WAY out of my league.

I thank you Sir and you should seriously give it thought. Yes, they aren't cheap anymore, but I am so impressed with the quality and engineering of them. Yea, I lost my mind (and wallet) and bought a bunch of them recently. I do think it was worth it though...

Hi Allen, I’ve often thought about using the bubble method to look for air leaks on mine, but never got around to it. There must be an issue because no one else has ever complained about them being air hungry. My guess is that the body leaks before the air gets to the needle. They do handle well, but I now prefer my Iwatta for simplicity of cleaning apart from anything else. The design was why I went for the SBS side feed, I got used to the cup being on either side out of the sight line.
You got yours very cheap, nice one. I paid about 150 dollars including postage from the states (couldn’t source one in the UK at that time, probably the early nineties). Not a bad deal at the time because it was the deluxe one with all the needles and pots and a nice wooden case. Exchange rate was a lot higher than now as well, about 1.8 dollars to the pound I think. Well, not a bad deal until I got hit with about 60 UKP import duty anyway :cold-sweat:

That's funny Tim, because I am really so used to the cup being on the (L or R) side, I didn't want an AB with a cup on the top middle. You and for that reason was why I got the SBS. Now I just have to use the puppy. I honestly can't remember the end price when I bought it back then. I could guess it was around $30 - $40, tops!!!...Please see below too...

Lovely work pal, never built one of their kits but they do look good

Thank you Mick and if you want a change of pace, treat yourself to one. Just don't look for one on evilbay. Try some shops or the like. Warning though...If SWMBO finds out what you paid, it could be the couch for..........A long time my friend!!!...

Not sure … I tried finding out and come across a lot of places that still sell them, and parts for them, but the Testors web site … well … Click on Aztek under the header “Select Brands” and …



Okay … So let’s try searching for Aztek:



Great.


I do, I bought an A470 (the top-end model) about 25 years ago for 299 guilders (the price sticker is still on the box) because one of the main reasons I didn’t like airbrushing was the cleaning involved for the Badger 150 I used to use (and still have, too, but never use anymore). The plastic Aztek is much better in that respect.

I used to use it for camouflage etc., but nowadays, I use it for anything that needs to be sprayed in a single colour and use an Iwata for finer things. The roller that you mentioned is well and truly stuck, though — I had cause to disassemble it for the first time some months ago, and thought I would fix the roller while I had it apart. Nope, its whole axle seems totally stuck in a square piece of brass that holds it in place. I guess I might try WD 40 sometime, but as I never used the roller anyway, I don’t really need to get it unstuck from its fully-rearward position.

Jakko, I actually took some time rummaging through some boxes and finally found the original packaging from mine. I stand corrected as it was marketed by Model Master (which was a Testor sub-company if I remember correctly) and wasn't the deluxe model,



It didn't have all the extras or the wood storage case like Tim's and yours. It did come with the plastic cleaning tool though. If you look at the AB, it's black with the MM logo on the body. Mine was gray without any logo on the body when I bought it. I never had a prob with the wheel sticking and only used it once in a while, like Tim did. Honestly, I wouldn't know where to begin on how to take it apart...

Today, I took a break from the fuselage, got brave and wanted to try out the lozenge decals. I figured I'd start small, learn and then work my way up to the big nasties later on. I broke out the Set and Sol bottles, my tweezers, a pan of warm water, Q-tips, paper towel strips, the victims and went to it. The decals have a top, dark lozenge and a bottom, lighter lozenge decal for each piece. You have to be careful and make sure you apply the right ones, where. The upper wing, flappy things are the smallest ones. With these you have to be even more careful as the outside tips of them curve upwards on the wings. The dark ones go there and the lighter ones on the bottom...

The first one I applied without using any Micro Set on the paint first. Slid it onto the flappy and it was wet enough to set into place. Dabbed it with a strip of paper towel to remove the water. I then rolled a Q-tip gently over the surface to push out any water from underneath the decal. I set this one aside to dry and went at the other one. I tried to apply M Set on the wing surface and that was a joke. It just pooled up and rolled around, no matter how I brushed it all over the surface. I slid the decal on and did the same routine as the first one. Went back and saw the decal hadn't settled into the ribbing, so I hit it with some M Sol. The decals are made by Cartograph in Italy and are of good quality. Not too thick and not too thin. You can work them a bit and they won't break or crumble on the surface. They are about 1-2mm larger than the surface and hang over the edges. A few coats of M Sol got them to snuggle down onto the ribbing and with some work, around the edges of the thick inside area of the flappy things. I used a sharp blade tip and trimmed the excess off of the thin edges as I couldn't get them to fold over. I worked for about 4-5 hours to get the final result of 2 nasties,


It's a start and I still have to do the bottom 2. For so much work, they actually didn't turn out too badly...When I go to do the wings, I'll probably lose my mind, be an alcoholic, need rehab, or worse!!!......Having enough nonsense and needing a break, I went on to put the decal on the MG scope and finish painting it up. The tiny decal was a breeze to add, compared to the damn flappy ones,


You really can't see it here. Another pic,


And here, you can just make it out on the rear of the Oigee scope. The Whole MG needs a black wash and I need to add the ammo drum...

Sorry for so much Blah blah above, but this was a new experience for me and lozenges. I always thought they were for a sore throat or a cold...Tomorrow's adventure will be the other side and I hope it goes quicker than today's...

Thanks again for your interest and wonderful comments. It keeps the mojo going, even in these trying decal times. Have a great week and stay sober!!!...

Prost
Allen

 

[Lee Drennen]

don't take any crap from the rabble either

Ok Allen I finally made it near the front to take a seat JR kept Greeting me at the door with a flamethrower now I know why you know him and Fire.

 

[Guest]

Honestly, I wouldn't know where to begin on how to take it apart...

I didn’t either, but it turns out to be really simple: just take a flat, blunt instrument and insert it into the seam just in front of where the air hose attaches, then lever/wriggle the two body halves apart.
https://forum.largescalemodeller.com/topic/1492-taking-apart-the-body-of-your-aztek-a470-airbrush/
Mine is slightly different internally than the one shown there. The roller is on a brass axle, for example, and the trigger has connecting bars from metal wire rather than plastic. From that, I’m guessing the one in the photos is younger than mine

 

[Allen Dewire]

Ok Allen I finally made it near the front to take a seat JR kept Greeting me at the door with a flamethrower now I know why you know him and Fire.

Glad to have you up front Lee. Yea, JR probably got the flamethrower from our Mr. Merryweather. He's 3D printing them at the moment...

I didn’t either, but it turns out to be really simple: just take a flat, blunt instrument and insert it into the seam just in front of where the air hose attaches, then lever/wriggle the two body halves apart.
https://forum.largescalemodeller.com/topic/1492-taking-apart-the-body-of-your-aztek-a470-airbrush/
Mine is slightly different internally than the one shown there. The roller is on a brass axle, for example, and the trigger has connecting bars from metal wire rather than plastic. From that, I’m guessing the one in the photos is younger than mine :smiling3:

Good info and thanks Jakko. If mine ever goes wonky, I know how to get it apart now. Or, become proficient with my Iwata SBS. One or the other...

We have continued with the 'nasties' work and did the other side of the flappies. The kit decals are oversized and it states in the instrucions one has to trim them to fit. The flappy ones weren't too bad and just a little trimming was needed,


Using a sharp blade tip, I could trim the excess you see on the left flappy. After the trim job, I slapped some M Sol on the edges, let it soak in and used my finger to seat them down on the thick edges. It worked fine,


Now I had enough balls courage to take a stab at the big 'nasties'. Yesterday, I did the wing underside nasties. They are 15cm x 4cm for the bottom wings and 13cm x 5.5 cm for the top wings. Started with the bottom wings and the first one went ok, the second one ended up a 3 piece affair, which I carefully fixed. My decal water was now cold and needed a refill with warm water. I needed a break too!!! The third 'nasty' ended up a 2 piece affair, again carefully fixed and the last one went on just fine...It was a battle and my nerves were shot but,


the underside wings were done. You can see these need trimming too, so I let them dry overnight...

Got up this morning and decided to do the top 'nasties' to finish this noise! I trimmed off the bottom excess first, again carefully with a sharp blade tip. I then did the top wings first as the bottom wings have areas where you have to line up the decal's cutouts with obstructions, so to speak. The top wing two went on pretty easily and surprised the crap out of me. The first one on the bottom wing became a 2 piece affair because of my ham-fisted actions of trying to move it a bit into the correct position. Luckily, it was just a corner at the wing root and was carefully fixed. The last 'nasty' had to mount perfectly over the wing walkway and compass housing. I think it was the easiest of all 8 of them and went on just fine. Glad that's over!!! The finished product,


The top decals do need a trimming and some M Sol work on the outer wing tips to snuggle them down onto the edge (L top). The wing ribbing needs some M Sol work to bring out the detail too. On this WWI wing thingy, you have to use the 'nasties' as it would be almost impossible to paint the Lozenge camo on the wings. Yea, it could be done, but it would take me 6 months to do, at least!!!...

All in all, the big 'nasties' weren't as bad as I had thought. I also learned some things about doing big decals too. These won't be the last, as my Hansa W.29 has naval lozenge decals on the wings........But, it only has one wing and not two of them!!!...

Thanks for looking in and have a great Thursday folks! Stammtisch tonight and boy, am I in the mood for a Schnitzel and a few cold ones!!!............

Prost
Allen

 

[Lee Drennen]

Very impressive

 

[yak face]

Excellent decals allen , now i know where to send my fokker eV for decalling when i get round to it :thumb2:

 

[Nicko]

Nice work on those decals Allen. Ratheryou than me!

Nick

 

[David Lovell]

Well done sir ,after all the excellent work so far this was it make or break ,I think most of us will agree we've all breathed a huge sigh of relief probably not as big as yours but hey as I said well done Sir. Dont know much about these things Allen but how well will they handle now as surely their going to take a bit of rough and tumble with construction and rigging etc. Dave

 

[stillp]

Well done Allen, you deserve a drink after those decals!
Pete

 

[Allen Dewire]

Very impressive

Thanks for looking in Lee and the kind words! Give my best to little babes too, my friend...

Excellent decals allen , now i know where to send my fokker eV for decalling when i get round to it :thumb2:

No, no, no, no Tony!!!!!!!......You're the CEO/owner of "Decals 'R' Us" and I should have sent mine to you Buddy!!! I would have, but with all the new regs, it would have cost me a small fortune with tax, post, customs and such. So, I decided to do the 'nasties' myself. Thanks Sir...

Nice work on those decals Allen. Ratheryou than me!

Nick

Thanks too Nick and to be honest, they weren't as bad as I thought they would be. Just time consuming and bad for the liver...

Well done sir ,after all the excellent work so far this was it make or break ,I think most of us will agree we've all breathed a huge sigh of relief probably not as big as yours but hey as I said well done Sir. Dont know much about these things Allen but how well will they handle now as surely their going to take a bit of rough and tumble with construction and rigging etc. Dave

Much appreciated Dave and the big sigh of relief was followed by a good Schnitzel and a few cold ones last night. The 7 Hügel schnapps after dinner wasn't too shabby either. Good for the digestion, they say!!! The Cartograph decals are pretty tough and please see below too my friend...

Well done Allen, you deserve a drink after those decals!
Pete

Thank you Pete, and the cold ones were really needed. Now it's on to the decals that go on top of the decals. Gotta love it Sir!!!!...


I spent most of the morning into the afternoon, getting the edges to snuggle down and some of the ribbing too. I slopped the M Sol on the edges and waited for a few minutes. If you use a Q-tip or anything else, it takes the color off the decal high points. I just used my thunb and a finger and pressed the decal lips down on the forward wing surface edging, doing about 4cm at a time. If the lip didn't want to play, I hit it with more M Sol, waited again and pressed it down again, till it held. Here's an Idea,


Not 100% perfect (never is), but they held till they dried. There is still some ribbing that needs the treatment too. I still have to paint the walkway and add the compass decal when the wings are completely done. The wings will need a good shot of matt too! Now, to answer Dave's inquiry from above, I have been handling the wings the whole time and nothing has pulled off or stuck to my fingers. The Cartogragh decals are pretty tough and stand up to a lot. Just have clean fingers with no fatty substances on them. The rigging should be no problem at all, when the decals are under a matt coat to seal them.

As the temps rose this afternoon, I thought it would be a good time to try out the Iwata. I had a quick connect kit for it and the bits for both of my ABs to use it. Screwed on the new hose, filled the air tank and attached the ABs to check for air leaks. None to be found on any of the connections. Now I can switch between them easily with the quick connector. The rear wings and fin are white on the scheme I'm doing, so I mixed up some Tamiya flat white and IPA. I chickened out on trying the Iwata as it was so little to be sprayed and used the Aztek,


The tail fin will get black cross decals and the rear wing will need to be masked off for black paint like below,


What's funny, WnWs give you decals for the fuselage B/W stripe (26), the two white stripes in the top wing (31, 32) and all the crosses, but no decals for the black stripes on the rear wing. Maybe it was just a brain fart on their end...

That's it for today. Tomorrow, if it's warm again, I can try out the Iwata and practice using it. I need to, as next up, is the 7 color mottled camo on the fuselage. It's the last big hurdle on this puppy!!! Thank you all again and have a great weekend everyone...

Prost
Allen

 

[Neil Merryweather]

Fantastic , quality stuff Allen, but those NASTIES have succeed in dampening any temptation I might have otherwise succumbed to!

 

[Allen Dewire]

Thank you Neil!!! Get yourself one of the allied WnW kits and the fear of the 'nasties' will be gone.......They do build up great my friend...

Prost
Allen

 

[David Lovell]

As I said Allen great stuff your nuts must be well chuffed ,strange one that how can nuts be chuffed im sure someone will tell us but please can it be started in a new chit chat bit rather than clog up up Allen's build. Dave